Fifty-nine percent of all American households have pets,
according to the American Veterinary Medical Association. This
translates into $10 billion per year in revenues for pet-related
businesses, and animal-loving entrepreneurs are discovering more
and more products and services to keep the industry growing.
Here's a rundown of five hot pet businesses to start now.

Karen Roy is a freelance business writer in Richmond,
California.

Dog Obedience Training

Dennis Owens has been training dogs since he was a teenager.
Unable to find an experienced trainer to apprentice with, he
learned by working at an animal hospital, then volunteering at the
local American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(ASPCA) until they hired him.

"Early on, there weren't a lot of people willing to
share information, but that's changed," Owens says. The
behavior lecture circuit is a lively place these days, and even
Owens, with his 14 years of experience, still attends seminars.
"Be open to learning what animal behavior is all about,"
the Cross River, New York, entrepreneur advises would-be
trainers.

Trainers' success depends on their people skills. A good
trainer must be an effective teacher and counselor; marketing, too,
requires a personal touch. Owens gets most of his
business through networking with local groomers and vets,
and through the American Dog Trainers Network.

A budding trainer can start part time, teaching group classes in
basic obedience for adult dogs. Owens charges up to $125 per hour
for private consultations. But don't be tempted by these
lucrative jobs until you know you can handle the
aggressive dogs you're likely to encounter.

Mobile Grooming

After 15 years as a veterinary technician, starting his own pet
business was natural for Frank Weag, founder of Professional Mobile
Groomers International in Union, New Jersey. When the vet he worked
for retired, Weag bought a struggling mobile grooming business and
turned it around--to the tune of $125,000 a year.

If you're starting from scratch, you have to build up to
that income, says Weag, who charges $50 for a basic shampoo and
clip and typically handles eight to 10 dogs per day. Making the
rounds of vets' offices and pet shops to generate referrals is
key to success.

Weag suggests keeping costs low by buying a used van; a
converted van with fewer than 75,000 miles on it goes for about
$15,000. Keep the van looking sharp, though, because it's a
moving advertisement.

Cynthia Albritton, 24, owner of Albritton's Quick Clips
Mobile Grooming in Montgomery, Alabama, used a $5,000 bank loan to
buy a used van and a generator. A friend helped her cut a 50-gallon
drum in half, mount it on a steel frame and lay down molding to
make a bathtub.

Mobile grooming may be in its infancy, Weag says, but one visit
to a trade show will convince anyone it's a rapidly expanding
segment of the pet industry. In a world clamoring for convenience,
that's no surprise.

Pet-Sitting

Debbie Laughlin's Housecalls Pet and Home Services in San
Ramon, California, specializes in providing the kind of in-home
medical care pet owners usually handle themselves but don't
want to ask a friend to do while the they're away. That can
include giving insulin injections or providing after-care
following surgery.

Almost all Laughlin's clients are referred by
veterinarians. "Anyone who loves pets can be an expert at
caring for them, as long as they have initiative and
self-motivation," Laughlin says. Proof positive: Laughlin, who
offers Housecalls as a business opportunity, has 11 licensees
running their own businesses under the Housecalls name.

Laughlin charges clients about $15 per visit. How to learn the
basics? She advises volunteering at an animal hospital and taking
first-aid classes for pets. "Meet with the clients and watch
how they handle the pets," she suggests. "Do the
[procedure] exactly the way the owner does it." If you're
not comfortable offering medical services, don't worry; there
are plenty of pets who simply need to be fed, looked after and
played with while their owners are away.

"People have to understand they'll be giving up their
holidays and weekends [to run this business]," Laughlin warns,
because pet-sitters work while the rest of the world plays. That
also makes it a good business to start part time, but be sure you
have a steady source of income while building a clientele. A
reliable car will be your biggest expense. It's also a good
idea to have backup, so plan on either working with a partner or
hiring someone.

Dog Walking

Dog-walking is a slightly different service from pet-sitting.
Clients consist mainly of busy professionals who want their dogs
exercised during the workday. It's a great part-time business
with fairly stable midday hours, Mondays through Fridays.

The sort of person who enjoys being a dog walker is someone who
likes to drive and doesn't mind being out in all kinds of
weather, says Christine Nehrenz, 28, owner of A Walk in the Park in
San Francisco. Besides having excellent dog-handling skills,
you'll need people skills and a vehicle large enough to hold
several dogs.

Nehrenz recommends starting with one client and adding more as
you gain experience. She now takes groups of mostly well-behaved
dogs to a fenced park, charging $10 per walk for the first dog and
$5 per additional dog in a household. Other dog walkers provide
on-leash walks for several dogs at a time.

Nehrenz says the best marketing is a business-card-sized ad in
the Yellow Pages. "You don't need that many clients to
support yourself, and there's always room for another dog
walker," she says. "I don't know anyone who has a
hard time getting clients once they start advertising."
Start-up costs are minimal, with advertising being the biggest
expense, says Nehrenz, who started with $350 in 1996. She also
recommends spending $50 to get your business bonded; it's a
good way to gain credibility.

Nehrenz posted sales of $24,000 last year, working half time.
She plans to expand her business by adding an employee and says
another way to make more money is to also offer pet-sitting.
"I know people who combine dog-walking with pet-sitting and
make $40,000 to $50,000 a year," she says.

Lorraine Zdeb of the National Association of Professional Pet
Sitters urges entrepreneurs not to jump into business before
getting experience. "Learn how to handle animals by working at
a kennel or a shelter first," Zdeb says. "It's not
the money--it's the care of the animal that counts."

Marketing Pet Products

Mail order company Legacy By Mail Inc. started in 1996 with
$2,500 and a desktop-published catalog, selling two dog toys and a
line of dog books written by co-owner Terry Ryan. In less than two
years, the Kula, Hawaii, company--owned by Terry Ryan, 49; Bill
Ryan, 52; Karla Kimmey, 47; and Larry Kimmey, 62--has expanded,
adding its own products and becoming the exclusive distributor of
several lines of pet treats and toys. A top seller, the
company's Canis Obnoxious line includes T-shirts, polo shirts
and sticky notes with cartoons of dogs smoking and wearing leather
jackets.

Legacy's customers range from new dog owners to those
who've been dog lovers for years, and include many instructors
and pet rescue organizations; all told, customers shelled out
$100,000 for the company's wares last year. Legacy reaches
customers via a constantly updated Web site, a professionally
produced catalog and quarterly postcard mailings.

Funda Alp of the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association
says that although the pet products industry is competitive,
there's still room for people with creative ideas and marketing
know-how to grow successful companies. Many entrepreneurs start
with just one product, often something they made for their own
pets. A vital next step, according to Alp: attending pet trade
shows, where pet-shop owners and buyers for big chains seek new
products. Trade shows also give you a chance to check out new
ideas; Alp says hot sellers now include handmade toys and natural
treats.

"You have to be willing to do whatever it takes," says
Karla Kimmey, citing her family's upcoming relocation from
Hawaii to the mainland in order to take Legacy to the next level.
If you've got that kind of commitment and a love for animals,
you're sure to find plenty of start-up opportunities in the pet
industry.